Tag: Astronomical Society

Sheffield Astronomy Society will be holding its monthly guest speaker evening tomorrow, 14^th May at the Ranmoor Parish Centre.

The speaker is Andy Green who will be speaking on Aurora – in search of the goddess of the dawn. What is the aurora, what causes it, and where can it be seen. Hopefully, some of these questions will be answered.

The talk will start promptly at 8pm, free to members, guests £3.

The Northern Lights, also known as the Aurora Borealis, are a stunning natural event that sometimes appears in the skies above here in Crosspool .

These beautiful displays happen when charged particles from the sun bump into atoms in the Earth’s atmosphere, creating colorful curtains that move across the night sky.

Although they are more common in polar areas, certain conditions, like a strong solar storm, can push the aurora further south, making them visible in places like Crosspool.

Last night, people in Crosspool got to see this rare event, which turned the night sky into a breathtaking sight.

Currently, there’s no significant solar activity indicating a high chance of seeing the aurora over Crosspool tonight. However, conditions can change, so it’s good to keep an eye on local forecasts and aurora alert services for any updates. The best opportunity to witness this amazing light show is on a clear, dark night away from city lights.

If you are fascinated by the wonders of the night sky and want to learn more about astronomy and space sciences, you might be interested in joining the Sheffield Astronomical Society. This is a group of amateur enthusiasts who share their passion and knowledge with the public in the Sheffield and South Yorkshire area. They organise regular meetings on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month, at the Ranmoor Parish Centre – 5 Ranmoor Park Road, Sheffield S10 3GX – at 7:30pm.

At their first meeting of the month, a guest speaker is invited to share their expertise on a specific astronomy topic, usually from Sheffield University. However, thanks to Zoom, they have also hosted speakers from New Zealand and Stockholm in the past. The second meeting of the month is designed for beginners who want to learn more about astronomy. The first part of this meeting is a presentation by one of the society members on a relevant topic. After a short break, the meeting resumes with updates on current space missions, tips on what to observe in the night sky in the coming month, and any other astronomy news items.

The group aims to organize free monthly public sessions, where they showcase their telescopes and share their passion for astronomy. Depending on the season, they either observe the stars and planets at night or use special devices to safely watch the Sun during the day. You can find more information about their events and how to reach them on their website. http://www.sheffieldastro.org.uk